In her sister's footsteps

SHE'S already a rising star on home soil. Now Isabelle Cornish has Hollywood in her sights.

At the age of 18, most teens are still learning how to do their own washing. Isabelle Cornish, on the other hand, has already starred in a critically acclaimed TV series, landed a modelling contract and secured a US agent. Feel left behind yet?

But when I meet Cornish, she seems just like any other 18-year-old. Turning up to our photoshoot in a casual blue dress and Dr Martens that show off Bambi-like limbs, she has a look particular to beautiful young things that says, "Hey, I just got up, threw this on and I still look better than 90 per cent of the population." Yet, as she sits on the lounge, tucks her legs beneath her and admits to feeling nervous about being interviewed, she seems oblivious to her impending stardom.

After filming of the hit series Puberty Blues wrapped in July, Cornish headed overseas for three weeks to attend castings and stay with her sister Abbie, 30, whose role in 2004's Somersault launched her Hollywood career. Now home in Sydney, Cornish is sending audition tapes Stateside to try to land her own big break, while also preparing to start shooting the second season of Puberty Blues.

"I'm trying not to think about what may lie ahead," she explains. "I'm letting it come as it does and going with the flow."

Cornish has been modelling since she could walk (at seven, she was even running around a sunday magazine photoshoot with Abbie), and later moved on to TV ads.

"I enjoyed doing my own commercials, but also seeing my sister act," she says. "As I grew older, I was constantly asking Mum to let me do auditions. It's always been a part of my life."

The siblings are close and Cornish admits it's handy having a Hollywood star on hand to run through scenes. "We get along so well," she adds. "Abbie grew up looking after me, so she has advice whenever I need it."

Even with her big sister in her corner, the young star isn't taking success for granted and is working hard to figure out how to juggle modelling and acting. Although both disciplines require her to perform, the skill set is quite different: "In order to convey certain emotions in photographs, some modelling jobs are just like acting," she explains. "But I find it much harder to warm up in front of a stills camera than in front of a video camera."

Excited to begin filming the second season of Puberty Blues, Cornish speaks fondly of the role that's fast making her a household name.

"I didn't originally audition for the role of Vicki, but she was funny to play," she laughs. "I was in the US when I was asked to audition, so I made a tape and sent it to Australia. Once I returned home, [the casting directors] had me do a general audition, but they ended up giving me the role of Vicki."

For the unacquainted, Vicki is the loud-mouthed ringleader of The Greenhills Gang, of which the show's two protagonists, Debbie and Sue, are desperate to be members. While many of her scenes involved "pashing off" and being caught in compromising positions, Cornish took it in her stride.

"The other actors and I were so close, we became a family. Doing those scenes wasn't awkward; it wasn't like being with a total stranger. We thought it was funny."

Filming on the new series starts early next year and Cornish can't wait to not only jump back into the role, but also catch up with her co-stars. "I'm living with Charlotte [Best], who played Cheryl, but the rest of us are all mates," she says. "Going back will be like a reunion. It will be good to see how we've changed and grown up."

With accomplished thespians such as Claudia Karvan and Dan Wyllie leading the cast, the show was a great learning experience for its young actors. Producers John Edwards and Imogen Banks believe Cornish's performance was note-worthy.

"We love Isabelle," says Edwards. "[As Vicki], she gives us this great breath of fresh Cronulla air, while her character is real and true and always engaging."

Although she enjoyed seeing how the more experienced actors made the characters their own, Cornish reveals her role models and inspirations come from outside the acting industry. "I'm not someone who looks up to specific people," she explains. "I normally watch the creative industry as a whole. I admire what my sister does, but I like to find inspiration from things that aren't in acting, such as travelling and meeting people who aren't doing what I'm doing, and seeing what they do in their lives."

Much happier to fly by the seat of her pants, Cornish found the transition from her Newcastle family home to her Sydney digs a breeze when she moved in March. "It wasn't tough to move because I've made a lot of new friends in Sydney," she says. "Since we finished school, my friends from Newcastle have all gone off to do their own things anyway."

But boys? That's a different story. "It's funny, I haven't found that guys pay me more attention since Puberty Blues," she admits. "I haven't dated this year at all; there have been a few guys, but nothing too serious. [Whether I'm recognised] depends on where I go - if I'm walking around a shopping centre, yes, but when I go out all dressed up, no one notices me. I'm happy chilling - my days are packed, so I'm content being single."

At the moment, life is hectic for the young star with, on average, three photoshoots a week, plus endless meetings with agents and management. "When I get up, I'm off to the gym, then it's learning lines to send overseas, meetings or shoots or organising the next day's activities," she says in one breath. "My schedule changes every day."

With a profile that's only set to grow at home and abroad, Cornish is preparing to have less and less free time. "I'll miss having days when I don't have anything to do," she says with a sigh. "You know, those days you can chill out and grab a coffee. The busier you become, the less time you have to do those things."

But before you peg her as one to rely on her youthful good looks in front of the lens, Cornish reveals she has her eye on stepping behind the camera. "It's a long-term goal to make a documentary," she says excitedly. "I've always wanted to make my own TV show - something to do with travel or animals. I haven't figured it out yet, but I'd love to combine my interest in photography, acting and modelling."

Keep your eyes peeled for a Cornish collaboration, too, as the younger sibling would love to work with her big sister one day, whether in front of the camera or behind it. "I hope to be doing movies," Cornish adds. "Acting is what I want to do, but I'd love that to lead to directing. Honestly, whatever path acting takes me within the industry in the next few years, I'll be happy. In five years, who knows where I'll be?"